Apparatus for use in conditioning fibrous material



Oct. 7, 1941. i G H||' ET AL 2,257,798

" APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONDTIONING FIBROUS MATERIAL Original Filed May16, 1936 GEORGE HILL ARTHUR G.HILL PEARCE H. BAKER LEON C. MITCHUMEDWARD A. HARPER INVENTORS i BY lada/wwf THEIR ATTORNEYS Patented Oct.7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT (-)FFICEl APPARATUS Foapse IN coNDIrIoNiNGFamous MATERIAL George Hill and Arthur G. Hill, Welliord, and Pearce H.Baker, Greenville, S. C., and Leon C. Mitchum and Edward A. Harper,Atlanta, Ga., assignors to The Texas Company, New York, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware Original application May 16, 1936, Serial No.80,114. Divided` and this application May 10, i939, Serial No. 272,820.In Canada April 12,

2 Claims.

This invention' relates to a mechanism for providing a positive andconstant supply of oilk or` of the oil or conditioning iiuid whensprayed.

Other objects,` features and advantages of the invention will appear asthe description thereof,

`taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,-proceeds. In thedrawing the single figure is a .partially sectional view of a vacuumoperated constant head tank.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a,

constant head tank which is connected by means of a pipe 29 to a sourceof oil supply. One end of the pipe 29 connects with a constant head tank30 through a `T tting 3i, one side of which connects directly with thehead 32 of the tank 30 while the other is provided with a vacuum breaker33 which includes upper and lower seats 34 and 35, respectively, for aball valve 36, the

operation of which will later be described.

A vacuum cup 31 is secured inside the tank 30 and to the underside ofthe head 32 by means of screws, bolts or the like, suitable packing 38being provided to insure an air-tight connection. An outlet pipe 39 issecured in the bottom of the vacuum cup 31 and on its free end a flapvalve 40 is hingedly mounted. Whenever a partial vacuum is maintained inthe cup 31 the valve 40 is held in a closed position but when` thevacuum is broken the valve. 40 responds to the head of oil acting uponit within the cup 31 and opens topermit the oil to now into the main.tank 30.

i The head 32 is formed to provide a centrally` disposed andinternallythreaded boss 4I in which there is secured a valve housing42.- Housing 42 is bored longitudinally at two diameters as indicated at43 and 44. The lower and smaller bore 43 is adapted to support a stem 45which extends upwardly into the upper and larger bore 44. A taperedvalve 46 is secured on the upper end of the stem 45, and on the lowerend of the stem which extends downwardly into the vacuum cup 31 there issecured a hollow float 41.

CII

upper end of valve housing 42. A bushing 49 is secured in this end ofthe tting 48 to providers. restricted orifice for the passageV of airand also to provide at its end a seat for the tapered valve 46. Theopposite end of the fitting connects with a. pipe 50 which extends toand connects with a vacuum creator or entrainment nozzle 5| whichincludes a T tting 52 secured. by a; nipple 53 to the head 32 throughwhich communication is made with the interior of the vacuum `cup 31. Thevacuum creator 5I is provided with a tube 54 of restricted diameterthrough which air from the pipe 50 passes under pressure at highvelocity.

One end of the tube 54 is tapered and extends in f spaced relation intoa correspondingly tapered portion of an orice 55 in a plug 56 which is,screwed into an e'nd of the T iltting 52. 'I'hus air passing from tube54 through the orice 55 of plug 56 entrains with it air from the vacuumcup 31 and thereby creates a partial vacuum in the cup. The air thusused to create a partial vacuum in the cup 31 may be taken from anyconvenient source of air supply and is introduced intol the enlargedportion of valve housing 42 through a pipe 51.

An outlet is provided in the bottom of the constant head tank 3l! and toit there is conneeted one end oi' a pipe 11. through which oil issupplied to the oil manifold as shown in Patent From the foregoing itwill be seen that by reason of the partial vacuum created in the vacuumcup 31 by the action -of the air passing through the vacuum creator 5I,oil is supplied from the source of supply to the conditioning apparatus.As air is Withdrawn from the vacuum cup 31 oil is drawn from the courseof supply which is maintained at atmospheric pressure. As the oil level'rises within the vacuum cup 31 the neat 41 rises and when apredetermined and desired level has been reached the tapered valve 46closes the opening in the end of bushing 43 and shuts ofE the supply ofair to the vacuum creator 5I. During the period that a. partial vacuumis maintained in the vacuum cup 31 the ball valve 36 of the vacuumbreaker 33 is pulled upwardly and held against the upper valve seat 34,thus `preventing the admission of any air to the vacu-V um cup. When theair supplied to vacuum creator 5| is discontinued by the closing ofvalve 46, the ball valve 36 quickly drops to the lower valve seat 35which is suitably slotted to permit ready access of air which quicklyenters the vacuum cup- 31 and breaks the vacuum. Also, when the One endof an elbow fitting 48 secured in the 55 Vacuum 1S broken the ap'valve4U in the `outlet pipe 39 responds to the head of liquid acting upon itand opens to permit the oil in the vacuum cup to ilow into the main tank30 which is vented to the atmosphere through a suitable opening 16 inthe wall of the tank. As soon as the oil level falls in the vacuum cupthe tapered valve isshould be imposed as are indicatedin the appendedclaims.

We claim:

l. In a, constant head tank having a head' formed with a plurality ofopenings, a vacuum cup secured to one underside of said head, a pipeconnecting one of said openings to a source of oil supply, anentrainment nozzle connected to another of said openings throughwhichcommunication is had with said vacuum cup, a pipe connected with saidentrainment nozzle through which air under pressure is supplied to saidnozzle to evacuate air from said vacuum cup and permit the entry of oilfrom said source of supply, a oat in said vacuum cup, a valved stemsecured to said float and extending-through an opening in said head andinto said air supply pipe, a valve seat in said air supply line adaptedto cooperate with the valved end of said stem to interrupt the passageof air through said air line;v and said entrainment nozzle wheneversuflicient oil has entered the vacuum cup to raise the float and bringthe valved stem into engagement with said valve seat, and means fordischarging oil from said vacuum cup when said entrainment nozzle ceasesto evacuate air from said vacuum cup.

2. In a constant head tank having a head formed with a plurality ofopenings, a vacuum cup secured to the underside of said head, a pipeconnecting one of said openings to a source of oil supply, anentrainmentnozzle connected to another of said openings through whichlcommunication is had with said vacuum cup, a pipe connected with saidentrainment nozzle through which air under pressure is supplied to saidnozzle to evacuate air from said vacuum cup and perlmit the entry of oilfrom said source of supply, a

float in said vacuum cup, a valved stern secured to said float andextending through an opening inV said head and into said air supplypipe, a valve seat in said air supply 'line adapted to cooperate withthe `valved end of said stem to interrupt the passage of air throughsaid air line and said entrainment nozzle whenever ,sulcientoil hasentered the vacuum cup to' raise the iloat and bring the valved steminto engagement with said valve seat, and means associated with saidhead for quickly ladmitting atmospheric air to said vacuum cup when thesupply of compressed air to the entrainment nozzleis interrupted.

. GEORGE HILL.

ARTHUR G. HILL. `PEARCE H. BAKER.

LEON c. MITCHUM.

EDWARD 4. HARPER.

